Admit it. When you first thought about starting a small business of your own,you got really excited. You were going to set the world on fire. But then you spent WAY too much time surfing the web, reading sales letters that go on and on, pulling out your credit card to buy this and to buy that. You probably attended a couple seminars, maybe some webinars. You even thought you’d check out those books from the library on how to start X business. But the books went half-read, if you had time to touch them at all. As soon as the file for the “solution” was downloaded, you were looking at a new email promotion, wondering if THIS new program being touted is the one you should buy. It all sounds so good.

Before you know it, your credit card is maxed, your hard drive is running out of storage space, you have saved so many videos your computer has slowed to a crawl, your spare room is filled with books and 3-ring binders and gadgets, and you still don’t know where to start. Your dreams of success are beginning to fade. You’re beginning to think that maybe running a small business is not for you.

You are experiencing the Paralysis of Analysis. Many people go through it. They get excited about an idea for a moment, but they get stuck implementing. So you move on to the next idea. Many would-be small business owners jump from business concept to business concept, trying to find a perfect solution to an imperfect problem.

Stop.

You can’t spend your entire life in learning mode if you want to be successful. You have to act. You have to take the plunge and actually do something with the information you acquire.

The best suggestion I can give you if you find yourself in a paralysis of analysis situation is to pick one business concept and then work out a clear, step-by-step plan based on what has worked for others, and follow it. Starting a small business is a lot like baking a chocolate cake. If you have a recipe to follow, you can be pretty sure your end result will be a chocolate cake. If you don’t have a recipe and you are not a baker, you may end up with a chocolate mess that in no way resembles a cake because you neglected to add some key ingredient, like flour or an egg. We want your small business to end up looking and acting like a successful small business. Sure, you might make a mistake. It may come out a little dry, or undercooked the first time around, but you’ll be so much closer to your goal. Try something. Don’t sit on the sidelines any longer. Take action.

Following a proven plan will cut your learning curve and get those first customers in your door faster. Do exactly what others have done to create their business success, and you, too, can see your bank account grow.

When you are first getting started with any small business, granted, you have to spend some time learning. But there is so much to learn, especially if you don’t know how to manage a small business, you can easily become overwhelmed. But when you have a plan set out for you to follow, with a specific task or set of tasks for each day, you don’t get overwhelmed. You overcome the paralysis of analysis. You can actually move forward and get results.

The clearer the plan and the more thorough the plan, the better your results will be. You want a plan that teaches you the basics. If the plan introduces you to valuable resources, like software programs which help you automate your growing business, or area professionals who can provide the support and services you need, so much the better.

That’s where a small business consultant like Success Point Consulting, who specializes in getting small businesses like yours up and running, can help. I provide a12-week Fast-Start Program especially designed for small business owners who are just getting started and want someone to help them jumpstart the process. I will work with you to set out a weekly or daily plan to develop your business concept, conduct market research, write a business plan, create a strategic marketing plan, and set the wheels in motion to getting your small business to its success point.

Like everything in life that’s worth doing, you have to invest a lot of your time and effort at the beginning. But success is worth it.